Winter storm or not, people still need breakfast

Not only was it early, it was snowy. Winter storm advisory snowy. It was one of those Saturday mornings where you just want to sleep in and set the alarm to ‘wake me when the snow stops’.

But not everyone can afford to sleep in, not if they are counting on a hot meal from The Breakfast at St. Andrews to start their day. And Anna’s Kindness student volunteers made sure their morning got off to a good start, even if the weather wasn’t cooperating.

Slauson Middle School’s Mia Sanborn, Ava Selby, and Grace and Ben Zyczynski, Clague Middle School’s Sonora Manthey, and Demarcus and Dominick Franklin, and Forsythe Middle School’s Ray Kangas all woke up very early (on a weekend, yes, that’s right) and braved the snowy Saturday weather to feed several dozen hungry guests oatmeal, grits, baked goods, doughnuts, cereal, juice, and coffee.

These students from three different middle schools were a somewhat special group, as we invited families who had been on our 200+ volunteer list but who had yet to join us this year. But despite the mixture of schools and grades, the students quickly came together — under the direction of St. Andrews’ staff Leah and David — and worked as one to prep the food for the guests, who began arriving at 7:30 a.m.

Ben, Grace and Ray helped sort fresh fruit, and then Ben and Ray — the two resident 6th graders — filled up ice cube trays. Ava and Sonora sliced up cake and baked goods into small bite-sized pieces, but seeing as how that idea wasn’t going to work smoothly with a cherry pie which was destined to crumble apart, Sonora personally served out small slices of the pie to guests.

Dominick filled out juice cups with mango/guava and fruit punch, while just around the corner, his older brother, Demarcus, got a crash course in how to pour and serve coffee. And Mia took the lead (by taking the spray hose) to make sure dishes were cleaned and washed properly.

The one-hour breakfast service was a smooth operation, so much so that you would have thought the volunteers were regulars at St. Andrews. Ava and Grace poured out the grits and oatmeal, Sonora doled out the pie pieces, Dominick monitored the juice, Demarcus was a brilliant barista with his coffee serving skills, and Ray and Ben alternated with the baked goods and helping Mia with the dishes.

And when breakfast service was done, all the middle school students pitched in to clean up the counters, refill and restock the cabinets, throw out the trash, and wipe off the tables.

Thank you to the parents who braved the poor traveling conditions to bring their students to serve, thanks to Cathy for helping host, Leah and David for directing the students, and thank you to Susette, Morgan and The Breakfast at St. Andrews for allowing us to join in your mission.

#randomactsofanna

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